Saga of Kumo Nui: Chaos
by DataIntegrationThoughtEntity
Summary: The island of Kumo Nui, distant and threatened, calls for help beyond it's watery borders...
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes: **Hello and welcome to my awesome new saga! Weeee! I like this idea. Oh, I like it a lot…. LOL. And, yeah, basically, I've got about a ton of OCs. Man I love Bionicle OCs. XD So yay…. LOL

And, yes, yes, I should work on my other fics, blah, blah, blah…. :)

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Bionicle… Meh. :P

The sleeping Le-Matoran, Kentu, opened his eyes lazily. His memory was blurry, and it wasn't until he saw the clear sky, endless ocean, and felt the cool breeze that he remembered where he was and what he was doing.

Kentu sat upright and yawned. His companions, a Ta-Matoran called Hunuo and a Ga-Matoran called Adoji were already awake.

Hunuo turned to Kentu. "Hey! We're all tired, but that doesn't mean you can sleep all day! Comeon, get up!"

The Le-Matoran got to his feet slowly and rubbed his dark red eyes.

The trio was on a small boat, drifting in the middle of the ocean, with no particular target.

Kentu shook his head. "And I had hoped that this would all have been a dream." he said grudgingly.

Adoji shook her head sadly. "We all wish it was just a dream, but the truth is, everything happened. What we have to do now is decide what we're going to do."

Hunuo frowned. "What we're going to do? We're going to follow Toa Uhnagi's orders, of course. And we can't let him down."

**--Flashback--**

_Amidst the frantic Matoran running in all directions, Uhnagi, Toa of Gravity, bent down and stared at Hunuo. The frightened Ta-Matoran whimpered, "Sir?"_

_Uhnagi shook his head. "Hunuo, you and your friends, Kentu and Adoji, you must leave Kumo Nui. Take this boat. It's not much, but it's all I could find."_

"_No! Why us? We're just a couple of average Matoran!"_

_Uhnagi smiled kindly. "I trust in you. You must leave Kumo Nui and find help."_

"_Help?"_

"_There are many other Toa in various parts of this world. Seek them out and seek their aid. We need their help if we want to defeat the Chaos and free Kumo Nui once and for all. Do you understand this?"_

"_Yes, but I still don't understand why us!"_

"_If not you, who else? The other Toa and I must stay here and hold out against the Chaos for as long as we can! Turaga Kimas must stay here to govern Kumo Nui. Besides, he's in no condition to travel. You and your friends are strong, and I truly believe we can count on you. Don't let me down."_

"_I-"_

_But the Toa wasn't listening. He jerked his head. "My brothers need my aid! Go, now!" _

_And before Hunuo could protest, he was thrown onto a small boat with his friends, and the Toa of Gravity had cut the rope that attached them to the harbour with one swift swing of his axe and sent them out to sea._

_Hunuo looked up from the boat that was slowly drifting away and saw Uhnagi look at them for a moment with an expression surprisingly similar to regret in his eyes, and then turn around to join the fray. _

**--End of Flashback--**

Hunuo sighed. "They're all counting on us, the entire population of Kumo Nui."

Kentu nodded sadly. "I miss home."

Adoji raised an eyebrow. "So do I, but if we don't complete our mission soon, there won't be much left of home when we get back. Home will be consumed by the Chaos if we don't hurry. And for all we know, home might not even exist anymore at this very moment."

The Le-Matoran frowned. "A little optimism never hurt anybody, Ga-Matoran."

**Author's Notes: **Welllllll? Waddya think? Heh.


	2. The Gravity of the Situation

**Author's Notes: **YAY:P LOL, two updates in two consecutive days. Heh, I'm gonna run out of stuff if I keep updating so fast. Meh. So in this chapter I'm introducing… KUMO NUI!!! LOL, there's most likely a plot hole in here that I didn't notice. Feel free to alert me about it.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Bionicle… Duh.

Kumar, Toa of Electricity, Detou, Toa of Vacuum, Hungati, Toa of Plasma, Huatoz, Toa of Sonics, and Nunovah, Toa of Magnetism were all standing side by side, weary and silent.

The entire population of Kumo Nui was also present, as was the Turaga. Turaga Kimas sighed sadly as he began his sorrowful speech.

"We are all gathered here today to honour the Great Toa of Gravity, Uhnagi, who has recently… deceased. He died protecting Ta-Kumo from the surprise attack that took place during our annual festival and took on about two dozen Rahkshi single-handedly before he fell.

"I have known Uhnagi for countless years now, and he was a very close friend of mine. As a Matoran, he was always ready with a good joke and a smile, yet fully aware of his duties. As a Toa, he saved my life on numerous occasions and took his responsibilities very seriously. He was compassionate and fair with everyone. He never held grudges.

"He valued Duty the most out of all the virtues because he believed that if one didn't fulfill one's responsibilities, one was unreliable and untrustworthy, the exact opposite of what a Toa should be…" The Turaga, who was normally very strict and not known to be emotional, felt a tear slowly rolling down his right cheek.

"I would like to pass speech over to Uhnagi's brothers, who know him better than anyone else." Turning to the Toa, he asked, "Does anyone have anything to say?"

After a brief hesitation, Kumar spoke. "Yes. We were very close and we would all have trusted him with our lives. It was a true privilege to have had known him."

A brief hesitation.

"That is all. Words can not describe my pain, but Uhnagi died a hero, and a hero he will remain in our hearts."

Turaga Kimas nodded, and then raised his right arm. In his right hand, he held a grey Kadin, Great Kanohi of Flight. No one said a word, but they all recognized the mask as the one Uhnagi always wore. However, when Uhnagi wore it, it was a vibrant, rich, black. Now, it was grey and powerless, and it looked as dead as its previous owner.

Kimas closed his eyes momentarily. When he reopened them, he continued, "It was Uhnagi's wish that he be buried in the caverns of Onu-Kumo. It was his favorite place in all of Kumo Nui. However, his mask will be placed in the Great Kumo Suva, along with all the Kanohi of past Toa."

&&&

Huatoz walked up to Kumar, who was sitting on a small rock, staring at the ground.

Three hours had passed since Uhnagi's funeral services, but everyone still had an image of the reliable Toa of Gravity in their minds.

The Toa of Sonics gazed at his friend compassionately. "Hey."

Kumar looked up. His face was full of grief. "We should have been there for him, Huatoz, we should have helped him. We should have saved him."

"Kumar… blaming yourself really isn't going to help things."

"But what's the point? Things are pretty much hopeless now, aren't they? The Chaos will enslave Kumo Nui, and we're all going to die defending it."

Huatoz clenched his fists. "Kumar! Don't you dare talk like that!"

The Toa of Electricity looked up at his friend in surprise.

Huatoz calmed down a bit. "Before he died, Uhnagi sent three Matoran away to go search for help from other Toa."

"Three Matoran? But what can three simple Matoran do? How do we know they'll even find help?"

Huatoz grabbed his friend's shoulders and stood him up. "I don't know. But Uhnagi trusted them, so that should be enough. Didn't you yourself say that we would've all trusted Uhnagi with our lives?"

Kumar was unconvinced. "Yes…"

&&&

Huntagi caught the Toa of Electricity and the Toa of Sonics talking in low voices. He frowned slightly before returning to Po-Kumo along with his Matoran, who were all standing in a large brownish crowd, waiting for him.

He approached them and smiled, absently fingering the large war hammer that hung from his belt. "Sorry to keep you waiting, guys. Kimas wanted a word…"

Parnuk, one of his Matoran, nodded. "Indeed, Great Spirit of Plasma. We have not waited long. But still, I wish to return home without further ado."

Huntagi gave him a tired glance. "Yes, maybe then we can get some rest, friend."

"Huntagi!"

The Toa of Plasma sighed, recognizing the voice. "Sorry, Parnuk, I hope you won't mind waiting one more minute."

The Po-Matoran was visibly irritated, but managed to nod. "As you wish, Great Spirit."

"No, please, just call me Huntagi," said the Toa, winking, before turning to greet his friend. "Good day, Detou. All goes well?"

The Toa of Vacuum was running up to him, but slowed to a jog as he approached, before finally halting. "Well? Fairly… No, all is not well, Huntagi. We've lost our brother…"

The Toa of Plasma frowned when Detou brought up Uhnagi. Of all the Toa Kumo, he was probably the closest to the former Toa of Gravity. "Yes… aren't you returning to your village?"

Detou shrugged casually. "Yeah. Nunovah's already gone. I don't know about Huatoz. And Kumar… Well, I passed the Ta-Matoran. They said that Kumar was… depressed."

"Hmm, I saw him and Huatoz talking."

"Really? Well, I suppose I must be going now, Huntagi," said the Toa of Vacuum with an apologetic smile. "I'll catch you later, huh?" he asked, already moving away.

The Toa of Plasma nodded. As Detou disappeared into the distance, waving, he turned back to his Matoran. "Sorry about that. We'll leave now. For real this time."

&&&

Nunovah felt the course sand under her feet. They were approaching Ga-Kumo now. Good. The Ga-Matoran all walked behind her, their expressions blank. Nunovah frowned at this. "Hey…" she spoke the first word since they had departed from the meeting place in silence. "How about taking a break?" she proposed.

A member of the Aquatic Guard, Gahtou, looked up at her. "Hun? Um, yeah, I guess that would be best for everyone."

The Ga-Matoran slumped down, tired. If they had any bags they took them off and flung them onto the ground. Yet, Nunovah noted, none of them tried to start a conversation. Many of them wouldn't even look their companions in the eye.

She fiddled with her long jagged harpoon for a moment. "So…" she trailed off, unsure of just what to say. "Um, we should be home soon."

Gahtou turned her head towards the Toa of Magnetism slowly. "Yeah… "

"Look, I understand that you're all tired, but…" Nunovah fell silent. She had nothing to say. She was weary as well, but to see the morale of her Matoran so low… it tore her apart.

"Those Rahkshi are strong," commented a boater, Hujai.

Rahkshi. The source of all their troubles. She sighed. She hated that name, and everything associated with it.

&&&

Huatoz left Kumar. The Toa of Electricity was in a slightly better mood now, and seemed strong enough to handle himself. Still, Huatoz worried.

With and encouraging smile, he patted his shoulder and walked away towards the Ko-Matoran who were patiently awaiting him.

As he finally reached the Ko-Matoran, he smirked at them. "Hey. How's it going?" he asked cheerfully, despite the somber atmosphere.

Most of the Matoran shrugged at him or eyed the floor, while others showed indifference.

"Well you don't have to be so cold," he frowned.

Walkiru, a philosopher and astrologer, shook his head. "Please, Huatoz, we're in no mood for jokes right now."

The Toa of Sonics scoffed. "Whatever. You're never in the mood for jokes, Walkiru." But he didn't push the matter any further.

After a long and awkward mutual silence, Huatoz proposed to leave. The Matoran responded with grunts of agreement.

So they left, in the direction of the cold snowy hills of Ko-Kumo. Huatoz carried an injured researcher, Cadlux, on his back. Cadlux had twisted his leg in a desperate attempt to escape from a Confusion Rahkshi. He had been one of the many Matoran who had been saved by Uhnagi in his last battle.

Tears came to Huatoz's eyes as he thought of his brother. He had seen him leap in the fray bravely, with nothing on his mind but the safety of the Matoran, Kumo Nui's people. He had been a veritable Toa, up until the very end.

"Huatoz." Cadlux's voice was barely a whisper, but Huatoz heard him.

"Yes?" he asked kindly.

"I… I can't stop feeling like it was my fault."

The Toa of Sonics frowned. "What are you talking about?" He had a feeling he knew what the answer would be.

"Y-you know, what happened yesterday. ...I was there when it happened. When he, you know-"

The Toa of Sonics halted and Walkiru, who was walking absently in the front of the crowd bumped into him.

Huatoz turned and, unsmiling, said, "You go ahead without me. The village isn't so far away. You can see it in the distance." He pointed to Ko-Kumo with his right index.

Without questioning him, the Matoran shuffled towards the village in an eerie silence. It pained Huatoz to see his Matoran so downhearted. Not that they were ever really ecstatic, but this…

When the Ko-Matoran were out of earshot he gently picked up Cadlux and sat him down. He then sat down himself, facing him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I… Like all the other Matoran, I never expected the attack. Uhnagi kept saying that he had the foreboding feeling that something dreadful would happen, but I didn't listen. Then, before I could understand what was happening, Rahkshi came bursting in from alls ides. Like all the others, I ran, but my path got cut off by a Turahk. I saw a Po-Matoran get incinerated right before my very eyes… Scared, I turned the other way, but the Confusion Rahkshi was there. His gray body and green limbs… he was a threatening figure. I panicked and ran, confused. Actually, come to think of it, I was probably affected by the Confusion Rahkshi: he caught my arm with his staff. So before I knew what was happening, I twisted my leg and found myself on the ground. And the Rahkshi was upon me, staff raised.

"And then a black blur appeared and tackled the Rahkshi, knocking him over. I couldn't do anything but watch as Uhnagi picked up a blade that a Ta-Matoran Guard had dropped and jabbed at the Rahkshi with it. He then increased gravity and the Rahkshi found itself flat on the floor helpless. He was about to throw the blade at the Confusion Rahkshi when a Panrahk came from behind and vigorously jabbed his staff into Uhnagi's back. And, and-" The Matoran broke down.

Huatoz was almost glad he had stopped. He wasn't there to witness it; none of the other Toa were, but his imagination replayed the horrifying scene as Cadlux described it. He imagined it must have been worse for the Ko-Matoran, who had seen it with his own two eyes. So, kindly, he placed his hand on the Matoran's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Here, slow down, you're hyperventilating."

The Matoran shook his head. "No… let's just go catch up with the others. I'm sure I'll be fine."

Huatoz frowned at this but didn't protest.

&&&

Kimas opened the doors to the Great Kumo Suva using a small, silver key that he always wore around his neck.

The doors opened with slight creaking, and the Turaga walked in slowly. In his left hand was Uhnagi's Kadin, and in his right, his chiselstaff.

Countless grey masks were set upon the walls of the Suva. As the Turaga scanned the walls, seeking a place to place the Kadin, his eyes set upon many. A Hau, a Miru, a Kualsi, a Mahiki, a Suletu, a Pakiri, a Komau, another Miru, an Akaku… They were all Great Masks, and they were all once worn by great Toa. But now… they were as powerless as the one Turaga Kimas held in his hand.

Kimas finally decided to place Uhnagi's Kadin under a Komau and between a Sanok and a Hau. Then, using his chiselstaff, he carefully engraved the words, 'Uhnagi, Toa of Gravity' in the Matoran tongue under the mask.

Kimas backed up one step. _Uhnagi… may Mata Nui preserve your spirit._

**Author's Notes: **So? How was it? Comeon guys, I'm eager to know. I'm personally quite proud of it, but meh. It's your opinion that counts. :)


	3. Hope

**Author's Notes: **Adding a little twist to the plot now. ;) Hope you like. Oh, this chapter was actually finished for some time now. I just never got round to uploading it. Uh… think of this as an Xmas present, LOL.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Bionicle. Do own story.

The Ta-Matoran sighed. They had been drifting for hours now, without anything particularly interesting happening. His red arms were sore from all the paddling. Across from him, he could tell that Adoji, also paddling, was thinking something along the same lines as him. And Kentu… he was one of the many reasons that the two of them were annoyed.

"But I fought the wild Rahi bravely, with no weapon but a stick I had found on the ground. I climbed up the tree and when I was high enough, I jousted with the bird gallantly. He would charge at me, I would make to smack him with my stick, he would move out of the way, then he would circle back and charge again.

"I was nervous, but I continued on. In the end I grabbed onto one of his wings as he flew past and climbed onto his back. The Rahi then dove in a desperate attempt to shake me off. I jumped off him, tumbling towards the ground-"

"And Detou caught you and then beat up the Rahi with his Vacuum Pole. I know, I know," cut in Adoji a bit roughly. "We've heard that at least a thousand times."

The Le-Matoran frowned. "That wasn't exactly what I was going to say. You see, Detou didn't beat him up with his Vacuum Pole. He had separated his pole in two halves and attached them with his chain, forming his famous Double Vacuum Flails. Then he pointed one of them at the Rahi, and since it's hollow, Detou focused his elemental powers and it began to suck in the air around the Rahi, as well as the Rahi itself. As soon as the bird was close enough, he brought down the other one on his head, instantly knocking out the Rahi!"

If he had expected an ecstatic round of applause, he was sorely disappointed. Both Hunuo and Adoji had stopped paddling to turn around and stare at him dully.

"Yeah, we all know how Detou's Toa Tool works," snapped Adoji.

Kentu frowned, slightly taken aback. "Well sorry for trying to **entertain** you lot! I just thought that a conversation would be **so** much more enjoyable than paddling!"

Hunuo stood up. "True. But you know what would be better? If I managed to get some shuteye. You paddle." He thrust the wooden paddle into Kentu's outstretched arms, despite his protesting, then lay down and slowly drifted asleep.

&&&

He was awoken by Kentu.

"Land! Land! LAND!"

Hunuo sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. "What's up?"

The Le-Matoran was pointing frantically at a figure in the distance. Adoji was looking the same way with a large smile. Hunuo's face lit up. The figure was distant, but there was no mistaking it; it was a landmass large enough to contain life.

The Ta-Matoran jumped to his feet, a huge grin adorning his Noble Hau.

But their joy was short-lived. "Hey, what's that?" asked Adoji, pointing at the water.

Hunuo looked down. "Some sort of Rahi… and it isn't friendly!"

Indeed it wasn't. It was a Tarakava… and it was hunting. It was directly under the boat, and approaching rapidly. The Kumo Matoran, who've never seen a Rahi similar to the Tarakava before, were paralyzed with fear. The Tarakava suddenly delivered a mighty blow to the small boat with its right forelimb. The boat, being small and fragile, shattered to numerous wooden pieces upon impact and the three Matoran were hurled into the air.

Hunuo yelled. _No… this can't be the end… Kumo Nui… _Then the Ta-Matoran felt himself roughly collide with something soft. _Sand…_ he realized. He clutched the grains of sand with his fists, but he was weak. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was Adoji not too far away from him. And the last thing he heard was Adoji 's desperate voice yelling something at him…

Behind the Matoran, the Tarakava retreated back into the water, disappointed.

&&&

_Ow… what just happened? _Kentu was jerked from his half dazed state when someone grabbed onto his shoulders and shook them vigorously. His eyes opened and he shouted, "Okay, okay, I'm **awake**!"

Adoji stopped and peered at him queerly for awhile before dropping him back onto the sandy ground.

"Oof!" Kentu rubbed his head before sitting back up. "Well that made a lot of sense! You wake me from my dream just to drop me again!" he said angrily.

Adoji ignored his comment. "I can't revive Hunuo!"

The Le-Matoran frowned and got to his feet, rubbing the sand off of him. "The Ta-Matoran? What's wrong with him?"

Adoji frowned. "He. Won't. Wake. Up." She said slowly, between clenched teeth.

Sure enough, a few Bios away, a red figure was lying face-down on the ground. He walked towards him and stared for awhile. "Um, it looks like he's been hit pretty badly, Adoji. But don't worry, he's fine."

"Are you sure?"

Kentu scoffed. "Do you doubt my word? Why I'm-"

"Hey! Need some help?"

Both Matoran whirled around, startled, for they had believed themselves alone. At the sight of two Ga-Matoran standing at a distance Kentu yelped and Adoji tripped over her own feet.

The Ga-Matoran ran over to them. The one with the Great Kaukau spoke. "Hey, are you okay? What happened to your friend?"

Kentu stared at the Ga-Matoran in disbelief. _Am I hallucinating? No… this island is populated! THIS ISLAND IS POPULATED! _"Um, Ga-Matoran, do you have a Toa?

She raised an eyebrow. "Uh… actually, Metru Nui has seven…" Then she understood and her eyebrows arched in surprise. "You're not from Metru Nui, are you?"

Adoji shook her head. "No. My name is Adoji, the Le-Matoran is Kentu and the Ta-Matoran is Hunuo. We come from Kumo Nui. The reason we left is-"

The other Ga-Matoran cut her off. "You can explain everything to us later. But right now, we need to treat your friend."

&&&

"Hahli, why do you keep dragging stuff in every time you go back to visit Mata Nui?"

Hahli shrugged. "Sorry, Turaga Nokama, but I couldn't just leave them there."

Nokama nodded. "Yes… well Hunuo should be fine. But right now, I believe there is something the Le-Matoran wishes to tell us."

Turaga Dume spoke. "Are all the inhabitants of Metru Nui present?"

"Yup." answered Macku. "I made sure everyone is here."

"Good. Proceed, Le-Matoran."

All eyes turned to Kentu, who was standing on a stage along with the Turaga. The Le-Matoran gulped nervously. Then he closed his eyes and recounted his tale from the very beginning.

"You see, I was but an average Le-Matoran on the small island of Kumo Nui. Kumo Nui was a peaceful place, protected by six Toa. There's Kumar, Toa of Electricity, Detou, Toa of Vacuum, Hungati, Toa of Plasma, Huatoz, Toa of Sonics, Nunovah, Toa of Magnetism, and Uhnagi, Toa of Gravity. And there was Turaga Kimas. Under their guidance, we lived happy lives. I was a builder and I built and repaired homes for Le-Matoran. I loved my job.

"But all this changed when a dark spirit came to Kumo Nui. We didn't know its name-or even if it had one-so we dubbed it the Chaos. And it was indeed chaotic. It sent strange creatures to destroy our beloved home. There were these big, scary, things that attacked Le-Kumo, my home… and they destroyed almost everything…

"But we wouldn't just let them destroy everything that's dear to us without a fight. The six Toa fought valiantly, and so did the Matoran. I was a part of Le-Kumo's defense.

"However… we were still losing. One day, in the middle of a festival dedicated to the Great Spirit Mata Nui, the Chaos attacked. Amidst that horrible battle, Uhnagi sent me, Adoji, and Hunuo away on a small boat. He told us to search for Toa who would be willing to help us, because even if everyone fought bravely, deep down they knew that it was hopeless unless we found help.

"So we left and we drifted on the ocean for a while… then we found an island-"

"Mata Nui." interjected Dume.

"-and we tried to land on it. However we were attacked by some sort of Rahi which smashed our boat and knocked Hunuo unconscious."

Adoji sighed. "Yeah, that's pretty much what happened. But we did complete the mission Uhnagi assigned us. We found Toa." She set her gaze on the Toa Nuva. "But the question is, will you help us?"

Tahu frowned. Sure it was a likely story, but after all he's seen, he just couldn't help but doubt the Matoran's words. But if he didn't go help, Kumo Nui would be destroyed… and he couldn't live with that on his consciousness. On the other hand, if the other Toa and he left to go help, Metru Nui would be an easy target for any would-be attackers.

He then noticed that all the other Toa were looking at him. He understood that they all trusted his judgment… that the decision was up to him. He smirked; he knew what to do.

"Fine, some of us will go to aid Kumo Nui. But the others will remain on Metru Nui. Is that satisfactory?"

Adoji smiled. "Yes."

Tahu smiled kindly. "Very well, Ga-Matoran. You and your companions will guide me to Kumo Nui. Lewa and Gali, you're coming with me. Onua, Pohatu, Kopaka, and Takanuva, you're staying behind."

The other Toa nodded in approval of Tahu's decision, except Kopaka, who just fixed him with his cool gaze.

The two Kumo Matoran were staring at him with expressions of gratitude, joy, and hope for their homeland.

Tahu turned to Kentu. "As soon as your friend awakens, we leave." he declared boldly.

**Author's Notes: **(twiddling thumbs) …So? Waddaya think? You like? Please say you like… then again, if you didn't like that's okay too. Mmhmm. Just don't get at me about having the Matoran land on Mata Nui. It's my fic, so I'll do what I want with it. Kay. :)


	4. Recess

**Author's Notes: **Bored. Really bored. Mmhmm. And this is a really boring chapter, where nothing really happens. So yeah. Whatever.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Bionicle. Do own story. I think you get it: I don't wanna get sued. Sheesh.

Kizanu dug his ice pick into the wall and hoisted himself onto the top of the tower. When he got there, he found himself staring into the surprised Iden belonging to Toa Huatoz.

The Toa of Sonics tilted his head to one side. "So Matoran are escalating guard towers now? I always thought they used the stairs."

Huatoz reached out and offered his right hand to the Ko-Matoran. "Here, let me help you up."

Kizanu accepted the hand gratefully and got to his feet.

"So, do you have any explanation for this? Or did you just feel like getting some exercise by climbing the guard tower?"

The Ko-Matoran blushed. "Sorry, Great Spirit of Sonics. The door collapsed so I couldn't get in."

Huatoz's amusement quickly turned into concern. "Really? How did that happen?"

Kizanu shrugged. "I don't know, sir. Honestly, I don't."

"Well, let's just clear the entrance."

Without asking permission from the Matoran, he picked up Kizanu and leapt off the tower, turning a deaf ear to the Matoran's cries of protest.

Kizanu screamed all the way down. When Huatoz finally landed with a loud thud the Matoran was wide-eyed with fear.

The Toa of Sonics set Kizanu down on his feet. Then he frowned. "Hey, you okay?"

Kizanu was swaying dangerously. "Yeah… I'm fine… ooh… pretty stars… hehehehe…"

Huatoz bit his lip. "Oops. He'll be okay… I hope." He'd often forget that Matoran didn't possess the same stamina he did.

Before becoming a Toa, Huatoz was a Ko-Matoran. But he was always different from the rest of the Ko-Matoran. While most Ko-Matoran were quiet and didn't like to talk, Huatoz kept blabbering away. While most Ko-Matoran were careful and reflective, Huatoz was reckless. If it weren't for his white torso and light blue mask and feet, he would have easily been mistaken for a Le-Matoran who was especially fond of the cold. And even as a Toa, he still kept his attitude. Even when the Chaos attacked, he kept his light and cheerful mood.

Kimas was curious about the fact that a Ko-Matoran gained the power of Sonics. His brothers also inherited different elemental powers. Kimas would constantly repeat the Matoran were supposed to have their dormant powers unlocked when they became Toa, not gain new ones. But Huatoz, accustomed to being different, shrugged it off.

Huatoz then turned to the entrance to the guard tower. "Hum… let's clear this up." he drew his Vibration Blade and with a mighty slash, created a shockwave, blasting away the debris in front of the entrance.

The Toa of Sonics grinned and admired his work. "Perfect, simply perfect."

Meanwhile, Kizanu had recovered. The Matoran raised his eyebrows. "Hum, not bad, Huatoz."

Huatoz winked at Kizanu. "Well, see you later!" Then he placed his Vibration Blade on his back and walked away, whistling a light tune.

Kizanu blinked, and then chuckled. "Hah, Matoran or Toa, that Huatoz will always be the same."

&&&

Detou stretched his powerful arms. He was bored just sitting on the floor, not too far from Le-Kumo. Using his Suletu, he contacted the other Toa one at a time to check up on them.

He decided to start with Kumar.

_Hey, Kumar, what's happening?_

His companion's reply was full of irritancy. _What now? This is the third time you contacted me today!_

_Sorry, just making sure everything's okay._

_Well, everything is fine here, so get out of my head!_

With a sigh, Detou released his telepathic hold on Kumar. "Sheesh, what's his problem?"

_Hey, Huntagi._

The Toa of Plasma was in a slightly better mood than Kumar. _Hi there, Detou! Still doing nothing?_

_Nothing to do, bud. What about you?_

_Oh, I'm just helping a couple of Matoran rebuild their homes after the last attack._

_Isn't that a job for the builders?_

_Hey, you've got to keep in mind that before I became a Toa I **was** a builder. _Oops, Detou hit something.

_Kay, man, sorry. So I'll talk to you later?_

_You bet. Now get out of my head, I need to work._

_Sure, sure._

Detou broke his link with Huntagi and decided to check up on Huatoz next.

_Hey!_

_Whoa, Detou! You startled me!_

_Oh, sorry, bro._

_Nah, its fine._

_Great. So what's going on?_

_Oh, nothing interesting…_

_Hum, okay. Later, then._

_Cool, later!_

Detou broke his link with Huatoz, and then made one with Nunovah.

_Hiya! How are things going with you?_

_To be honest, not good._

Detou creased his brow in alarm.

_What? What's wrong? Another attack?_

_Nah, just a couple of Ga-Matoran bickering…_

Detou laughed in relief. He could almost see his sister's exasperated expression. _And?_

_They won't stop fighting…_

_Really?_

_Yup. And they've asked me for my opinion about their squabble… and I don't know what to do…_

_Wow. That sucks._

_Tell me about it. _stated Nunovah flatly.

_Yeah. Well, I'll talk to ya later._

_Sure, later._

_Buh-bye._

With that he broke his link. "Ah, looks like everything is just fine."

"Really?"

Detou spun around to face the speaker. It was a Le-Matoran with a dark green torso, a light green Huna and light green feet.

Detou smiled at his friend. "Hi, Tunegi."

Tunegi and Detou had been friends long before Detou became a Toa, and had always been friends since.

The Le-Matoran shrugged. "You know, sometimes I envy you, being a Toa and all, with all your crazy abilities. And sometimes I don't. All the responsibility poured on your shoulders must be a great burden, especially now that we're under attack by the Chaos."

Detou grinned. "Yeah, being a Toa is hard sometimes, but it's still fun!" he stated.

Tunegi shrugged. "You know, I miss Kentu."

The Toa of Vacuum frowned. "Yeah… but don't worry, Kentu's a strong Matoran, I'm sure he'll make it through."

"Yeah…" began the Matoran uncertainly, "But do you really think he'll find salvation for Kumo Nui?"

Detou's face darkened. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to reassure the Matoran, but that would be deceiving him. So he stuck with a safe answer. "We can hope, Tunegi. We can hope."

"Hope? What good is that?" asked the Le-Matoran harshly.

"You had the same attitude when the Rahi Master attacked us. But we were saved… by the transformation of six normal Matoran into dashing Toa Kumo!"

Tunegi laughed.

Detou was glad to see a change in his friend's attitude. "So who knows what'll happen this time. Maybe you'll become a Toa too!"

His friend grinned. "Ah, come on, Detou. I'm better off as a Matoran. I get enough action as a guard."

"Ha, being a Toa has its advantages, you know!"

"Like what? Being too tall to fit through the door?" joked Tunegi.

"Wha-? Hey!" replied the Toa, pretending to be offended.

The two old friends broke down in laughter.

&&&

"Look Gahtou, all I want is payment for the boat you lost me! Is that too much to ask for?"

Hujai glared. The Aquatic Guard had stolen her boat when a lone Rahkshi had approached by sea. Gahtou, with some help from the others, fended off the Rahkshi, but lost the boat in the process.

"Hujai, I took that boat to **protect** Ga-Kumo! You want me to **pay** for **helping**?"

The other Matoran sighed. "No, but I need something for that boat! It was my favorite you know!"

Gahtou crossed her arms. "Huh, that'll teach me to bother trying to save your lives."

Exasperated, Nunovah stood by the two arguing Matoran, groaning. _I liked it better when no one was talking. _"Look, guys-"

"I **demand** payment!" raged Hujai.

"Hey, calm down. Don't fight guys-"

"I was saving your lives!" retorted Gahtou.

"Hey-"

"Well you did a great job at that! My boat was **disintegrated**! How does that save us?" countered the boater.

"Would you both calm down and **listen** for a second?"

Both Matoran fell silent and turned to the Toa of Magnetism.

Nunovah smiled to herself, happy with the effect she had on her Matoran. "So, you've both brought up, erm, interesting points. And… I think I might have some up with a solution." She cleared her throat before proposing, "Gahtou, you'll help me and Hujai to construct another boat. How's that sound to you both?"

For a moment, she was afraid her proposal would be met with anger as the two Matoran stood there, hesitant. To her relief, Gahtou yielded.

"Okay. I guess that works."

Hujai followed suit, grinning. "Yeah, that sounds great."

The Toa of Magnetism laughed. "Great. I'm glad that's settled."

&&&

Huntagi cried out as a wrench fell on his head and bounced off. Rubbing his head, he looked up to identify the culprit. Parnuk was standing on the roof of the building, a horrifying expression on his face. Nervously, he stammered, "Oh, Great Toa, I,-I'm so sorry. Uh, um, the, uh, tool… slipped. Yeah, I-I d-dropped it."

The Toa of Plasma's stern gaze softened and he smiled. "Try not to be so clumsy, builder."

Parnuk relaxed when the realized the Huntagi wasn't mad. "Um, you see sir, I'm not a builder. I'm a crafter. Just that I volunteered to help."

Huntagi laughed. "That sure explains it. Crafters don't work with wrenches much."

The Po-Matoran shrugged sheepishly. "No sir."

The Toa of Plasma picked up a wooden slate and handed it to a Matoran, who sped off. "How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Huntagi, Parnuk? I don't call you 'Matoran', so address me by my name."

"Yes sir-Huntagi."

Huntagi shook his head, grinning.

The Head Builder chose that moment to walk up to Huntagi. "Huntagi, a large section of the Wall has been damaged during the last attack. Now, we normally wouldn't trouble you with this, but you really do need help."

The Wall was made out of solid stone and surrounded all of Po-Kumo. It was the thickest wall ever built in Po-Kumo. The entire village could easily fit atop that wall. The Wall went up shortly after Kimas arrived to Kumo Nui. To enter or leave the village, the Matoran passed by a gate of solid protodermis which was heavily guarded at all times. But strong as the Wall was, it was still vulnerable to the attacks of the Rahkshi, especially those with the ability to shatter or in some way erode the stone.

The Toa smiled wryly. "Coming, Guarfu."

&&&

Rutanu tilted his head in greeting at the Turaga, before continuing down the tunnel. The Onu-Matoran sighed. With Uhnagi gone, Kimas had moved to Onu-Kumo to make sure everything was running smoothly. It wasn't of course. And as experienced as he was, Kimas didn't know much about the ways of the Onu-Matoran. They appreciated his help, but Rutanu wished the Turaga would be just a little bit more useful.

Not to mention that the Turaga had gotten lost on countless occasions. Rutanu didn't blame him though. Only a true Onu-Kumo resident could find his or her way around. Onu-Kumo was a complex maze of subterranean tunnels that covered the entire area under Kumo Nui.

He stopped walking when he felt the light of the sun. It burned his eyes and he raised and arm to protect him. He stood there for a full minute before his eyes slowly adjusted to the light and he lowered his arm.

No longer blinded, he took a moment to appreciate the 'surface world' as Onu-Matoran called it. He was in front of Ta-Kumo. It was insanely hot.

Rutanu walked towards the two guards stationed at the entrance. The guards sat in front of Ta-Kumo, not perceiving him as a threat. One of them polished his blade before speaking.

"Greeting Onu-Matoran, and welcome to Ta-Kumo. What brings you here?" he asked, smiling.

Rutanu rolled his eyes. "Oh, quit it Jukarn, you know why I'm here."

The guard known as Jukarn laughed. "Sorry, Rutanu. Just standard procedure. Eh, Motak?" The other guard nodded in agreement.

The Onu-Matoran tapped his left foot against the ground impatiently.

"Fine, fine. So, messenger, who's the message for?"

"You guys." Rutanu stretched his arms. "Kimas wants to know if anything's wrong. Oh, and Onu-Kumo wants that shipment of weapons your forgers promised. It's late by at least a week. The Subterranean Guard needs those weapons."

Motak shrugged. "Yes, well the forgers are extremely busy. They've received a lot of urgent requests from Le-Kumo."

Rutanu frowned. "Urgent? Why? What happened?"

"Why, I would've thought you knew, with you being a messenger and all. Le-Kumo got ravaged a short while ago. No casualties though, as Detou got there right on time, thank Mata Nui for that."

Rutanu nodded. "I see… anyways, can I come in?"

The guards shrugged and ushered him through the gate.

&&&

Kumar nodded in approval as he walked around the building, supervising the forgers of Ta-Kumo. They were all hard at work in the searing heat. They labored like this non-stop every day in an effort to keep up with all the weapon demands.

An Onu-Matoran walked by hurriedly towards Lahrung, the Ta-Matoran who was in charge of shipping orders, but he took the time to slow down and stare at the Toa of Electricity. Kumar raised an eyebrow. All the Matoran knew that he didn't like being stared at, but did it anyways.

He recognized the Onu-Matoran as the messenger who often brought complaints, earning him a status of unpopularity among many of the forgers. _What was his name again? Something with an 'r'…_

He shrugged and continued down the corridor, into the small room where the finishing touches were being made to helmets specially designed for underwater usage. The forgers were painting the emblem of Ga-Kumo on them with care and precision. The last shipment to Ga-Kumo didn't have emblems painted on them, for they were in a hurry.

"Okay, come on. The paint job doesn't have to be perfect, as long as you get them done."

The working Ta-Matoran looked up at him, surprised and hurt. Kumar, being a former forger, understood why. The forgers were proud of their work, and did their best to perfect everything. To ask them to be satisfied with sloppiness was like asking a Ko-Matoran to lighten up and tell some jokes. Well, unless that particular Ko-matoran was like Huatoz…

Kumar sighed. "Sorry, but we're really behind on orders. I just saw the Onu-Matoran messenger pass by."

The Ta-Matoran mumbled to each other.

The Toa Kumo of Electricity smiled wryly then walked out of the room to go see how the Le-Kumo spearheads were coming along.

**Author's Notes: **(yawn) Really sorry guys, I'm really bored now… so whatever. Basically, this is to provide a tad more insight on Kumo Nui and how everything works, kay:) There.


	5. Shrouded in Shadows

**Author's Notes: **Whuzzup guys? …Uh, not that there's a lot of people reading, but yeah. Whuzzup?

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Bionicle… Heh.

He walked towards the Dodge Rahkshi cowering in fear, gazing up at him cautiously. As soon as his cold gaze met the Rahkshi's, the Rahkshi lowered his eyes.

He chuckled softly to himself. "Oh, come now, quit shaking. Is it really that cold in here?" he hissed.

The Rahkshi looked up at him. "N-no, sir," he responded in the Rahkshi language.

He clasped his hands behind his back. His bright red eyes reflected the light coming from the sole window in the room which, for some queer reason, conveniently shone on him, and him only. "Ah. I wouldn't think so." He arched an eyebrow. "What brings you here, Captain?" he asked, as if he didn't already know.

The Rahkshi fiddled with his finger nervously. "Uh, well, I'm… here to, er, deliver the report on the, um, recent, er, attack on, um, Le-Kumo?"

"Oh. Yes. Of course you are." He casually wiped a spot of imaginary grime off his golden armour. "And?"

"It went… okay."

"Hmm? Specify, Captain."

The Rahkshi looked down at his feet. "That is to say, Commander, that… we brought down a lot of buildings. But, um, the Toa got there and we…"

"Scattered? Fled? Surrendered? Might any of those be the word you are looking for, Captain?" he asked, his smug smile revealing his displeasure.

The Rahkshi shrank back. "You could say that, sir."

The golden figure turned around and sighed. "Now, that's not what I asked you to do, is it? Why disobey me?"

"I… sir, frankly the troops are growing restless."

The Commander tensed, causing the lesser Dodge Rahkshi to widen his eyes fearfully. "Is that so, Captain? Do tell," he snarled.

"We do everything in our power to take down this island. And for what? There's nothing in that place that we don't already have. Why do we sacrifice our numbers for this conquest?"

There was a long silence during which the Dodge Rahkshi, feeling a bit more confident, got to his feet and gazed at the Commander's back, expecting an answer. He didn't get anything though, and the lack of any sound whatsoever eventually grew intimidating and increasingly awkward. He finally made to stand up. "Um, I'll be going now-"

"No." The Commander turned slowly, and his hard ruby-red eyes fixated the Rahkshi with a cold stare. The Captain didn't dare move an inch, eagerly awaiting an explanation.

It came. "You wish to know why we're laying siege to Kumo Nui, is that it?" He laughed harshly, sending a chill rippling though the body of the Stage Six Kraata which inhabited the Dodge Rahkshi. "I don't know, Captain. You tell me."

The Dodge Rahkshi didn't hide his surprise or confusion. "What?"

The Commander shook his head then walked towards the Dodge Rahkshi, who was rooted on place. He bent closer to him, then whispered, "The orders come from _him_. I just carry them out, just as you should carry out my orders. Is that clear?"

Terrified, the Rahkshi couldn't do much but nod.

The Commander leaned back and smiled. "Good. Now get out of here."

The Rahkshi didn't need to be told twice as he scrambled out of the room, tripping over

his own feet.

&&&

The Dodge Rahkshi was still panting as he closed the door behind him.

"Is he in a bad mood?" asked an anxious mood from behind him.

Turning, the Dodge Rahkshi saw the Guurahk Captain, staff in hand, frowning.

The red Rahkshi shook his head to the Guurahk's increasing despair. "Sorry. I shouldn't have told him about the troops' displeasure."

The Guurahk looked taken aback. "Are you kidding me? You told him about that?" He slumped. "Might as well get it over with then…" He slowly pushed the door open. It creaked, and he slipped in.

The Dodge Rahkshi sighed and walked away. Standing half a Bio taller than the average Rahkshi, the Commander struck fear in the Kraata. Not only was his grand golden form, standing up straight unlike the average hunched Rahkshi, impressive, but so was the Kraata that inhabited it. A Stage Seven Shadow Kraata… of Jamming. It was a new ability just recently experimented with, and the results were amazing. The Dodge Rahkshi had never seen him use his powers, but judging by what he heard from the few who witnessed them and survived, he sure didn't want to.

Near him, a Kraata with a lemon metallic head and sand blue metallic tail crawled slowly up an arched wall. It didn't seem to have any particular destination. The Dodge Rahkshi picked it up. "I know how you feel little buddy. I'm supposed to jump in there all suicidal like, whilst you have no idea what you're doing. Sad, huh?"

&&&

In his lair, the Rahkshi Commander reviewed their current military status. Out of the forty-two Captains, one of each Rahkshi type, only seventeen were left. The Toa of Gravity had caused major damage before he finally went down in the frenzy. Still, the Captains were replaceable, and until substitutes were created, the numerous Kraata could manage. Besides, it wasn't as if the Toa could strike back, not being aware of the location of the Rahkshi Lair. But still, he didn't like to wait.

The Master himself had ordered the temporary retreat. It confused the Rahkshi Commander. The Master clearly had something in mind, but no matter how hard he tried, the Rahkshi Commander just couldn't wrap his mind around it, frustrating him. The Commander liked to be aware of everything, and if he ever encountered something he couldn't understand, he'd keep trying until he got it.

A Stage Six Kraata crawled towards him, and wrapped itself around the leg of a table, ascending slowly. The Commander looked down at it.

"Be patient, would you? I'm sure the Master will create a new shell for you soon, and you'll experience the pleasure of possessing limbs," he stated in the Rahkshi tongue.

He reached down for it, but suddenly stopped. There was another presence nearby, until now concealed in the shadows.

"_It takes time for Rahkshi to develop._"

The Commander backed down. The eerily smooth cool voice resonated throughout the room, seemingly originating from no where. "To what to I own the honour?" he asked, now speaking Matoran and trying hard not to shake. It wasn't often the Master visited him, and when he did, it normally wasn't in person. Where he dwelled most of the time the Commander was ignorant of, but he didn't really care.

"_I am all seeing. There are three more Toa coming to Kumo Nui. They will arrive within a week. They have been summoned by three Matoran whom your incompetent troops let slip past during our last ambush. A successful attack to be sure and I'm pleased with the results. But I haven't come here to praise you._"

The Commander nodded, avoiding the glaring red optics that were looking down at him. "And these Toa? What should we do about them?"

"_Ambush them. Watch the shores of Kumo Nui, Commander, and you better not let them reach this island alive if you wish to preserve your rank._"

The Commander nodded once more, still averting his gaze. "I understand, Master. I shall do so, and bring you back the heartlights of all three Toa, as well as the foolish Matoran as proof of my success."

"_I'll expect no less then._" The shadowy figure stepped back, and faded slowly until it had disappeared completely, leaving the Commander shaken.

&&&

The being dubbed 'The Master' by his subordinates, paced to and fro in his lair. His very essence radiated evil. He stuck to the shadows, preferring to have others do the work for him, then would sweep in and reap the rewards. Did his subordinates know they were being used? Quite likely. But what could a pawn do when its king, its creator and supreme dominator, gave it an order besides follow it obediently? Any rebellion was swiftly crushed. The Rahkshi Commander saw to that. The golden specialized Rahkshi had proven his loyalty, as had all seventeen of the remaining Captains. It was a sure pity so many Rahkshi were lost in combat, but the dark being knew that many of the deaths concerning the Captains were anything but accidental. Take the Ice Resistance and Rahi Control Rahkshi for example. They had secretly conspired to take down the Commander, but the latter had remained ever vigilant. The next time they entered the battlefield, both traitorous Rahkshi had been mysteriously crushed by a boulder. Among his troops, to even be suspected of plotting was dangerous.

The dark entity stopped pacing and looking down into a vat of energized protodermis. From the large vat, a terrifying voice, deeper than his own, spoke.

"_Well?_"

"_Don't worry, brother, I'm sure that my Rahkshi will dispatch of these Toa you spoke to me about,_" he answered, his own voice brimming with confidence.

"_Good, good…_"

The entity smiled. "_Always willing to help a brother in need. Though my service deserves compensation…what exactly did these three Toa do to you, brother, that made you so angry? _"

Two red optics, much like the ones of the dark being, appeared on the surface of the protodermis. "_Them? They haven't done much to me… no, they aided another Toa to bring defeat upon me…_"

"_You?_" The entity feigned shock. "_Why, I never thought that **you** could be defeated… no, no, that's unthinkable…_" he said, shaking his head.

The red optics narrowed. "_Don't mock me._" His voice had a dangerous edge to it.

The dark being nodded. "_Of course, of course_. _I shall go attend to my own matters now. I'll contact you when you're Toa have been crushed._"

"_I'm looking forwards to it._" With that, the red optics dissipated and the vat of protodermis became just that, energized protodermis, no more.

**Author's Notes: **Not much happening, huh? Just a bunch of evil guys walking around all mysterious-like. Well yeah. If you haven't already figured out the identity of the 'dark being', then, well, I'm not telling. :P


	6. Departure

**Author's Notes: **My gawd, this is badly written. :-/ But sure. Whatever. I've got exams, so I'm not going to spend forever on this chapter. Not that my work's ever good, so you guys wouldn't notice the difference. :P ...It's kinda short too. Meh.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Bionicle… Heh.

Hunuo opened his eyes slowly. "Ooh… my aching head…"

"You're awake, you're awake, you're awake! Adoji, Hunuo's awake!"

The Ta-Matoran got up slowly. "Oh, Kentu. It's you."

He then saw Adoji enter the hut. "Hunuo! Great, you're awake! We can leave for Kumo Nui now!"

"What?"

So Adoji explained everything that had happened since Hunuo blacked out to the Ta-Matoran. It took quite a long time, with Kentu interrupting her every sentence or so.

At the end, Hunuo's face lit up. "So we found Toa who'll help us? Really? Oh, Toa Uhnagi'll be so proud of us! And Kumo Nui might be saved! Haha! Adoji, Kentu, you've got to bring me to these Toa, I want to meet them!"

&&&

The Ta-Matoran walked over to the Toa. They sure looked like Toa from the distance, but he really didn't want to get his hopes up, in fear of being disappointed. _Like Toa Uhnagi always said, those who expect too much are always disappointed._

As he came closer, he could make out their tall shapes and Toa armor. He swallowed. _Toa…_

"Hello. You must be Hunuo, right?" asked the Toa of Stone.

"…"

"Hello?"

Hunuo's face broke out in a huge grin. "You really are a Toa!"

Tahu laughed. "Yep. He's my friend Pohatu, the Toa Nuva of Stone. I'm the Toa Nuva of Fire and my name is Tahu."

Tahu offered his hand, which the Ta-Matoran took and shook eagerly. "So you'll be coming to Kumo Nui to free it from the Chaos?" he asked hopefully.

The Toa of Fire smiled warmly. "Yes, me, Gali, and Lewa are coming with you. The rest of my brothers will remain to protect our own city."

Hunuo nodded. "So… who are Gali and Lewa?"

At that moment the Toa of Water spoke. "I'm Gali, and that's my friend Lewa." she said, indicating the Toa of Air.

"Great. So when do we leave for Kumo Nui?"

"As soon as you're ready."

"You mean right now?" he responded, estatic.

&&&

Adoji breathed in the cool ocean air. Being a Ga-Matoran and an inhabitant of Ga-Kumo, Adoji had lived near water her whole life. The Aquatic Wildlife Researcher loved diving into the sea around Ga-Kumo in search of new specimen. She loved her job.

Turning around, she saw that Tahu had just boarded the boat. It was quite a big boat, far bigger than the one she had arrived on. A certain Ga-Matoran named Macku had built it.

She turned her head and made sure that everyone was on board. "Hunuo, Kentu, Tahu, Gali, Lewa… that's about it. We're ready to go now-"

"Wait for me!"

She spun around and saw a Ga-Matoran with a Kaukau running towards the boat.

Tahu frowned. "Hahli!"

The Ga-Matoran named Hahli stopped in front of the boat, panting. "Let me come with you…"

"Hahli, it's too dangerous. We don't know what's on that island!"

The Ga-Matoran Chronicler frowned. "But you can't expect me to just sit here quietly while you guys run off on an adventure, do you?"

Tahu blinked. "Well, come to think of it, if you did that, I'd suspect you of being an imposter…" he answered.

Hahli grinned. "So can I come?"

"No matter what I say, you'd come anyways, huh?"

"Yep."

"No matter what I do?"

"Yep," she said, persistent.

"Fine. But you have to promise to not do anything rash and jeopardize our mission," yielded the Toa of Fire.

Hahli laughed. "Yes! And don't worry, I won't do anything."

"…"

Adoji raised her eyebrows. _Looks like someone else has joined our little party._

Hunuo frowned. "Okay, we've waited long enough, let's go!"

With that, he pushed the wooden boat off from the shores of Mata Nui towards the island of Kumo Nui.

&&&

Pohatu Nuva chuckled as the vessel pushed off shore. Standing on top of Mount Ihu, which gave him a pretty good view of the boat, he turned to Kopaka. "Well brother, it seems like it's just you, me, Onua and Takanuva now."

The Toa of Ice grunted.

Pohatu snapped his Climbing Claws. "Oh, come on! It'll be fun, just the four of us!"

"…And seven Turaga, and an island full of Matoran." replied Kopaka, still staring at the vessel in the distance. It seemed to be only a small speck in the ocean now.

"Well geez, you don't have to be so cold."

&&&

Lewa yawned. "Is our little happy-joy ride over yet? When will we get to far-island?" he complained.

Gali shook her head. "We'll get there when we get there, Lewa!"

"Hum, Turaga Matau quote-say that too."

"Well, he is a wise elder, Lewa. And we've only been here for a half an hour," replied the Toa Nuva of Water.

Kentu nudged Tahu. "Hey, why does that Air Toa talk like that?"

Tahu blinked. "Oh, Lewa? All the Le-Matoran on our island talk like that. It's called treespeak."

Kentu furrowed his brow. "Really?" he exclaimed in disbelief, "Le-Matoran talk like that? It's an insult to our culture! Le-Matoran are dignified!"

Tahu burst our laughing heartily. "Ah… Y-you… hehehehe… Treespeak is Le-Matoran culture!" he finally managed to say between laughing and gasping for breath.

Kentu frowned. "O-kay… not on our island." He just couldn't understand why Tahu was laughing.

Watching Kentu, Adoji smirked, and then turned to Hahli. "Hey there, what's that you're holding?"

Hahli smiled. "Oh, this?" she asked, pointing to the mentioned object. "It's a kolhii stick."

Adoji tilted her head. "Kolhii? Interesting. What're they for?"

Hahli smiled. "It's a sport. I'd teach it to you, but we can't really play in the middle of the ocean, now can we?"

The Kumo Nui native laughed. "Nah. but we've got sports on Kumo Nui as well. They're really cool."

The Chronicler smiled. "I can't wait to get there… I'll make sure this journey get an honorable mention in the chronicles."

"The what?"

"The chronicles. I'm a Chronicler. It's my job to record all important events," replied the Ga-Matoran, beaming. "You don't record things on Kumo Nui?"

"Well… yes, but the Turaga does that."

"Yeah? What's your Turaga like?"

Adoji shrugged. "His name is Kimas. And he wasn't always a resident of Kumo Nui. He came to our island a bit more than a thousand years ago, as a Po-Matoran. Our island was in peril and he found a Toa stone, morphed into a Toa, and that's just about it. His Spirit Star still shines though. It's dimming, but it's still there."

"Speaking of stars, we've got a really powerful telescope on this boat. Do you feel like taking it out when it gets dark? I'd love to see the kind of stars you survey on Kumo Nui. Now those should get a page or so in the chronicles," said Hahli, interested.

"Sure."

&&&

The telescope felt heavy in Hahli's arms. The Turaga would sure be mad if she broke it, so she handled it with utmost care, ascending to stairs to the deck slowly. But then again, the Turaga had forgotten about the telescope and left it on the boat, so they might not notice if she dented it.

She finally made it up the stairs, but almost tripped over the last step since her vision was obstructed by the large telescope. Adoji walked over and helped her set it down. "It's a clear night," commented the Ga-Matoran.

Hahli eagerly peered into the telescope. "It works!" she said.

Adoji came closer. "Okay, I'm not exactly an expert astrologer or anything, but I know the basics." She grabbed the telescope and peered through it for a while, before she backed away, shocked.

"What?" asked Hahli, worried

"Uhnagi's Spirit Star… it's gone."

**Author's Notes: **Heh. Uh… review?


	7. Blinded by Anger

**Author's Notes: **…I feel stupid. OO I forgot to write the unit of measurement on my math exam. Yep, that's rite, I forgot to write km2 in my final answer. …I'm screwed. Kill me now…. ugh.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Bionicle, duh.

Huntagi grunted with effort as he pushed the Gate of Po-Kumo closed. The mechanism that normally opened or closed it was broken, so he had to be present to open or close it, so none of the Matoran could enter or leave unless he was there. Of course, the Matoran could just take the great tunnel in the middle of the village which led to Onu-Kumo, which covered the entire space under Kumo Nui. It had passageways leading up to every village, so a Matoran could easily slip in and appear up another tunnel in the other side of the island. That is, if the Matoran either had a competent Onu-Matoran guide, was an Onu-Matoran, or had in his possession a map he was able to read and a functioning lightstone.

As a matter of fact, he used the passageway right that moment. He had grabbed two lightstones, just in case something happened to one of them. As he descended, the light grew dimmer, and soon the only source of illumination came from the two stones in his hand. There were countless tunnels in Onu-Kumo, but only six led to the surface. One in front of each village - Po-Kumo was the only village that had its passage inside it, rather than in front of it – and one in front of the Kumo Suva. He planned to emerge in Ko-Kumo.

Suddenly, two green eyes appeared in front of him. The first word that crossed his mind terrified him. _Rahi. _He flashed his lightstone into the face of whatever owned the two glowing optics, while the other hand instinctively moved to his warhammer. The flash of light from the gem revealed the face of a startled Matoran. Huntagi calmed down and let out a breath he wasn't even aware of holding.

The Matoran spoke cautiously. "Sir? Are you okay?" The Matoran was carrying a bag filled with parchments, making his profession as a messenger amazingly obvious.

Huntagi chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm alright."

&&&

Janus looked down at his arm, and his mind automatically strayed to the things that have been bothering him. His master never acknowledged him anymore; he was always left in the corner trying to attract attention.

And he went to great lengths to for the longed attention he was accustomed to having. He had tinkered with one of the Master's experiments once, and the new breed of Kraata had gone horribly wrong and attacked everyone, fatally wounding a Stage Five Kraata who would've evolved soon and taken a post as a Captain.

But he couldn't help it. Janus liked it when the Master would poke at him, using him as a test subject for his experiments. But the latest experiment had marked the end of his incredibly short career.

Janus was a Stage Five Kraata whom the Master bound to the body of a fatally wounded Toa of Fire in a coma he never would have woken up from anyways. While Janus' mobility had been boosted by a long shot and he earned the ability to speak Matoran, the Master soon realized to his disgust that Janus couldn't tap into the elemental abilities of the Fire Toa, or wield a weapon properly, for that matter. He couldn't even use the infected Hau that adorned his visage.

That Toa's body had responded negatively to the change. The vibrant red-orange armor had dulled to the point where it resembled the Hau. The Master had mused that it was the effect of a Kraata; the sluggish being automatically infect masks at contact, so it was probably the same for the Toa body.

Slowly, Janus stood up and his green eyes spotted the Rahkshi Commander walk up to him. He bowed his head curtly, his hate-filled eyes reflecting his jealousy. After the Master had thrown him away like a dirty rag, he had chosen the Commander as his new favorite. And who was Janus to complain? He was a useless being trapped in the body of a Toa, with even less power than he had before; the Toa form neutralized his natural Kraata abilities.

To his surprise, the Rahkshi Commander actually stopped and talked to him for the first time ever. "_Janus_, is it?" hissed the golden Rahkshi venomously.

The Toa of Fire nodded with a frown.

The Rahkshi placed his hands behind his back. "Very well. The Master wished to inform you that early yesterday night, he was suddenly aware of your presence once more, collecting dust." He sneered. "He said that you might as well put yourself to good use like all the rest of the good little Kraata, unless you think you're too good to battle on the front lines."

The Toa of Fire shook his head sharply.

"Good. You're assigned to the shores of the Ko-Kumo terrain. Don't mess this one up."

&&&

"Huntagi… a little bit of ice won't hurt you!"

The Toa of Plasma peered down the slope. "But it looks steep, Huatoz."

Huatoz groaned, exasperated. "I thought you wanted to learn to ski! Get down there!"

"But I thought we'd start with something easy!" protested the other Toa.

Huatoz shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Huntagi…easy slopes are for Ta-Matoran! We're _Toa_, so act like one!" That said, he gave Huntagi a sharp nudge.

The Toa of Plasma yelped as he felt himself sliding down, and struggled to regain control over himself. But it was no use. At the speed he was going, he couldn't even throw himself down. He heard Huatoz cheering him on as he put on his own skis and started down. _That little twerp…_

He saw the Kurahk too late. He crashed right into the Rahkshi, and since the Kurahk was holding its weapon perpendicular to the ground, straight into the staff. He immediately felt the effects. He began feeling angry towards just about everyone, in particular Huatoz. _He could've gotten me killed!_

Beside him, the Toa of Sonics skidded to a stop, agilely ditched his skis, and drew his blade before charging the Rahkshi, who had recovered sufficiently from the collision with Huntagi to raise its staff and defend itself. The two sparred, while Huntagi lay there, feeling angry.

Finally, he got to his feet slowly, and a powerful arm shot out to grab Huatoz and tear him from his battle with the Kurahk.

"What were you thinking?" he raged, "You could've killed me!"

Huatoz's ice blue eyes stared at him confused for a moment, before he said feebly, "I trusted your skill. You know very well I wouldn't have pushed you if I wasn't confident of your survival… besides, we've got other things to worry about." he gestured to the Kurahk.

But his words didn't register in the mind of the Toa of Plasma. Huntagi dug his fingers into Huatoz's armor, before slamming the Toa of Sonics against a nearby tree.

Huatoz cried out in pain and dropped his blade at the impact. He jerked himself free from the Toa of Plasma's grasp. "What's your problem?" he cried as he bent down to retrieve his sword.

However, he didn't reach his blade for Huntagi's knee suddenly connected with his face without warning. Huatoz was knocked backwards and fell over. The snow cushioned his landing, but he had a massive headache.

&&&

The Kurahk took the opportunity to slip away. It had been instructed to guard the shore, so that was where it was headed. It switched to flight mode. _Fools,_ he thought, referring to the Toa, _they don't even know we're gathering at their shores. They're too busy wrestling in the snow._

When it reached its destination, the Kurahk was greeted by a dully-coloured Toa of Fire. It switched from flight mode and cocked its head. "What are you doing here?" it hissed.

Janus frowned. "I was instructed to be here."

The Kurahk made a noise comparable to scoffing form a Matoran. "Just don't get in the way," it instructed, walking away and purposely brushing the Fire Toa's shoulder.

&&&

Huatoz felt a muscled hand grab his head and slam it against the tree with such force he could have sworn his Iden was going to fall off. He was dizzy, disoriented. _I have to fight back._

Until that moment the Toa of Sonics had been holding back, now he slammed his fist against the tree. Utilizing his elemental powers, he magnified the feeble sonic waves a thousand fold.

Huntagi let go of Huatoz and staggered back, blocking his ears. That was all the time Huatoz needed to dive for him Sonic Vibration Blade. He grabbed the hilt, spun around, and held it in front of him in a ready position. His head was still spinning, but he stayed on his feet.

_Detou… you've been checking in on me every half hour for the past few days… I know I said you were really annoying, but now would be a great time, really…_

&&&

The Toa of Vaccuum was otherwise occupied. He had spotted a bunch of Anger Kraata all headed for the shore. His curiosity aroused, he began to follow them. When he dove into their minds, however, he had found nothing but a bunch of Rahkshi speech and the desire to go someplace, not to mention he started feeling angry. He immediately broke the link.

He was following them from a distance down, darting behind them. Strangely, even though he made no effort to conceal himself, the Kraata seemed unaware of his presence. _They've got a goal._

As they approached the shore, he saw what seemed to be a Kurahk and a Toa talking. Knowing they would probably be bothered by him being there, he promptly hid behind a snow bank. The Kurahk was hissing to the Kraata in greeting. Detou understood none of it. But they seemed to be preparing for the arrival of something, or someone….

**Author's Notes: **…What are the chances I don't lose points for forgetting the km2? Really slim, right? Thought so. (sigh) But yeah, about the fic, just… review, ya know? I don't have much else to say. Heh.


	8. Ambush

**Author's Notes: **I got a visorak today… only $4 too, LOL. So happy. They're not even supposed ta be for sale, but… yeah. LOL

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Bionicle, nor will I ever. Would be cool though, but that's just wishful thinking.

Hahli watched as Hunuo leaned over the edge of the boat, peering into the distance. "We should be close now…" he muttered.

The Ga-Matoran sighed. Adoji had made her promise to not tell anyone about what the saw in the sky that night. Or, more precisely, what they _didn't_ see. The other Ga-Matoran's reasoning? She had said in a nervous tone, "We're not even sure if we're right. No use worrying everyone. And if we were right, there's nothing we can do about it anyways."

But were they justified in hiding this? Either way, when they reached Kumo Nui, they'd find out, for better or for worse…

"I see something," announced Tahu confidently. The Ga-Matoran looked up and saw that his vibrant red mask had taken the form of an Akaku Nuva. Hahli felt a moment of panic. _We're already there? _She shook it off. She had no reason to feel nervous or uneasy, but she just couldn't help it. Why though? Was it because she was afraid of the others discovering the absence of the Toa of Gravity? Whatever it was, she felt a tension as they approached the island. Something was telling her they shouldn't be here, that they should turn back, go back… Hahli kept quiet. No one would listen to her anyways. She knew of Tahu's determination. He wouldn't turn back just because she had a _feeling_.

Lewa walked up to the Toa of Fire and switched Kanohi as well. "Yes, fire-brother, far-island near now," he said cheerfully. He turned his mask into the Miru again, and started floating. "Will scout for riskdanger." Before waiting for a response, he was off.

&&&

The Kurahk hissed happily. Their wait was over. Then he frowned. A green figure had risen from the boat and was heading for them at an alarmingly speed. He turned around, and issued orders to the Kraata urgently.

"What's the matter, Captain? You weren't expecting a flying foe?"

The Kurahk turned and hissed at Janus. "Shut your mouth, Toa. I can take him. Now… why don't you be useful and take down the green one while we wait for the boat?"

Janus laughed harshly. He reached out for an icicle conveniently shaped for throwing like a spear. He squinted, and aimed.

Hidden behind a snow bank, Detou gasped.

&&&

Lewa Nuva grinned down at the island. He was approaching a snowy area, much like Ko-Koro. Suddenly, he felt an incomprehensible anger directed at nothing in particular, and he frowned. He had felt this senseless kind of anger before, but he couldn't remember where.

He didn't have time to dodge as the icicle came at him. It was large, and threatened to impale him. His eyes widened, but before he could react in any way, an intense blast of air smacked him out of the way, and he fell below, into the water, losing consciousness as his head hit the seabed.

&&&

Detou had reacted as fast as he could. He had stood up and raised his arm, summoning his elemental abilities. He drew all the air from a random spot, and had sent it at the Toa of Air… which had probably been a mistake. _…I should have hit the icicle. It would have been so much simpler._

And now he had announced his positioning to the Toa of Fire, who had spun around as soon as his target was blown out of the sky, and was currently staring at him bewildered.

The Kurahk stared for a moment as well, then hissed angrily and ran towards him, staff raised.

Detou took the time to open a telepathic channel with all the Toa Kumo and send them a distress signal before parrying with his Vacuum Pole. The Kurahk was fast, and came at him mercilessly. It was all he could do to just keep from getting struck with the staff.

Then, he realized something strange. It was getting warmer. The Kurahk seemed to notice as well, turning just in time to jump aside and avoid the fireball. Unfortunately for Detou, with the Kurahk out of the way, the fireball slammed right into him, sending him flying into the same snow bank he had been hiding behind.

&&&

Both Toa Nuva had reacted quickly when their brother had been blown out of the sky. Gali hurried to bring his unconscious form up to the surface of the water lest he drown, while Tahu rapidly fired a blazing fireball at Lewa's attackers. He had missed of course; at that distance, only one who owned that Kanohi Sanok would have had much of a chance of striking their target. Instead, Tahu's fireball had struck the very Toa who had saved Lewa from the icicle. _Uh-oh…_

Kentu was jumping up and down frantically. "What did you just do? You hit Toa Detou! Detou! You're supposed to be hitting the bad guys, not Detou!"

Hunuo walked over and kicked the Le-Matoran. "Don't bother them, everyone makes mistakes!"

Gali sighed and attached her Aqua Axes to her feet. "Work on your aim, Tahu," she said before diving into the water, leaving the Toa of Fire immensely disappointed.

&&&

Despite his headache, Huatoz sensed Detou's mental presence, even if it was only for a split second.

Huntagi seemed to have sensed it too, since he was suddenly snapped back to reality. "Wha-? What just happened?" he asked.

Huatoz rolled his eyes. "Nice to have you back, buddy. Now, do me a favor, and stay away from Kurahk in the future, okay?"

Huntagi winced. "Oh, yeah… sorry about that."

The Toa of Sonics scoffed. "Yeah. Now come on, Detou wants us and he's not very far from here."

&&&

Janus cursed. The fireball had come really close to the Anger Rahkshi. _So much for ambush, huh? _There was a splash of water behind him, and he turned to see Gali walk out, soaked and dragging the Toa of Air onto land with her. The Toa of Fire hissed a sharp order at the Kraata, and two of them immediately jumped at her. Gali parried with her Aqua Axes, and both Kraata were down with one swing.

He glanced around. He had no advantage here. He had lost the element of surprise. What to do? He could very well run, and leave the Kurahk here. Okay, so the Master would get mad at him for that; the Kurahk was a Rahkshi after all, and there were few of them left. He hissed urgently at the Kurahk. "Come on, let's go! We don't stand a chance here!"

But the Rahkshi stubbornly shook his head. "No, let me finish the Toa of Vacuum first!"

Janus shrugged, and darted off. One of the smarter Kraata attached itself to his leg in hope of escaping with him. The Toa of Fire let the slug take a lift. _The Kurahk's done for. Oh well. Can't say I didn't warn him._

&&&

Huntagi was feeling incredibly guilty as he ran through the snow right behind Huatoz, despite the Toa of Sonics' effort to convince him that it wasn't his fault and that anyone else would've done the exact same thing under the influence of the Kurahk. Still, he felt bad.

When they got to a reasonable distance from where the battle was taking place, his arm shot out and grabbed Huatoz. The latter turned and stared, "What?"

Huntagi didn't answer, but whipped his warhammer from his belt at breakneck speed and pointed the tip at the Kurahk who was standing over the Toa of Vacuum menacingly. "Oh no, you don't…" he muttered under his breath. "If there's anyone I'm angry at, it's you…" Huntagi felt his face warm up as his mask's power took effect while at the same time the tip of his warhammer began glowing a bright red. A thin jet of pure plasma shot out directly at the Kurahk.

&&&

Gali watched as the Kurahk stood over the Toa of Vacuum and raised his staff, hissing. The other being which looked incredibly similar to a Toa had fled, and she hadn't done anything to stop him. She was too focused on the Kurahk to pay much attention. She wanted to help the Toa of Vacuum, but had enough on her hands with the Kraata, so you can imagine her relief when the Kurahk was struck by a thin jet of plasma. The initial relief quickly transformed to curiosity. Where had that plasma come from?

She hacked at yet another Kraata who hissed angrily. They had this battle won, whoever the Toa of Plasma was. Kentu had called him Detou, the protector of Le-Kumo. And if she had to guess, she'd say that the mystery blast of plasma had come from Huntagi, protector of Po-Kumo, who apparently owned a Sanok. Yes, somehow that all made sense.

The Toa of Plasma came into view, and tackled the Kurahk before the Rahkshi could get back on his feet. The brown Toa had one hand on the Kurahk's staff, the other on his own warhammer. He stood up and attempted to yank the staff out of the Kurahk's hands in one swift motion. The Kurahk wouldn't let go though, and it resulted in the Rahkshi doing some sort of funny back flip.

Gali slashed again, and ripped open a Kraata. The sight of the slug squirming and trashing about before it was finally still made her grimace in disgust and distracted her from the battle between the Toa and the Rahkshi.

They had locked hands now, and seemed to be wrestling over the staff. The Kurahk hissed, and the Toa responded by giving it a good kick.

"That's it, Huntagi!"

Gali turned to the direction from which the new voice had come. A white Toa was standing there, grinning. He bent over and then helped the Toa of Vacuum, who had recovered from being blasted with a fireball, get to his feet. "Come on, Detou."

The Toa of Vacuum grunted. "Thanks, Huatoz."

Ah, so the white Toa was Huatoz, protector of Ko-Kumo and Toa of Sonics. That made sense as well.

Next to her, Lewa had sat up, rubbing his head. "Oh… sister, what fasthappened?"

**Author's Notes: **…No, I still think my work sucks. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's definitely something wrong… ack. Just quality of writing in general I guess.


	9. Revelations

**Author's Notes: **Hiya. So… filler chapter sorta thing here, with minimal action. Heh.

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Bionicle.

Turaga Kimas had been reading a report from Lahrung of Ta-Kumo, when Kumar had swung open the door. The Turaga nearly dropped the report, and spun around on himself. He frowned. "What brings you here, Spirit of Electricity?"

Kumar looked like he was in a hurry. The lightstone in his hand was unnaturally dim. "It's Detou. There's was something going on at the Ko-Kumo shore. He sent me another message a few minutes ago, just as I was going to help him, telling me that everything was okay, but that he wanted you to go back to Ta-Kumo. There's someone he wants you to meet."

Kimas blinked. "Have you any idea who?"

Kumar shook his head. "Nay. Detou wouldn't say. Now, let's go."

The Turaga smiled and followed the Toa Kumo. Kumar casually grabbed a lightstone, throwing the one he was previously holding onto a desk. The faint light it gave off was close to useless. He was happy to finally be able to leave the tunnels. He had gotten lost on several accounts already. Okay, so he was happiest in Po-Kumo, but Ta-Kumo wasn't so bad. _It used to be his favorite place… _He shook himself vigorously when he thought of his old friend, and a pang of pain and guilt hit him hard. _No… now's not the time to be thinking of such matters._

Kumar had slowed down, and was peering back at the Turaga curiously. "Honorable Kimas, is everything alright?"

"Don't call me that," snapped the Turaga before he could even make an effort of stopping himself.

The Toa Kumo reeled back, surprised. "But…"

The Turaga sighed. "My apologies, Spirit of Electricity. I have been on edge lately. Maybe I just need some fresh air."

Kumar nodded, studying the Turaga suspiciously. "Sure…"

The rest of the journey was undertaken in complete silence, save for the sound of their footsteps and the Turaga's chiselstaff banging against the floor as they walked. When they saw light in the distance, the Turaga let out a long sigh. _Finally…_

&&&

Hunuo listened as Tahu recounted their journey to the Toa Kumo. They were all present, gathered in the Turaga's office in Ta-Kumo, except Kumar, who had gone to fetch the Turaga. _And Uhnagi._

"Hey!"

The shout attracted their attention, as was no doubt Kumar's intention. He was walking towards them with the Turaga. Huatoz, who was previously leaning on the wall, stood up. "You see, Kumar? I told you the Matoran Uhnagi sent out would bring back Toa!"

Kumar nodded absently, and turned to the Toa Nuva. He extended a fist. "I'm Kumar, Toa Kumo of Electricity."

Tahu nodded and clanked fists with the Toa Kumo. "Tahu, Toa Nuva of Fire."

Hunuo grinned. "Hey, speaking of Uhnagi, where is he?"

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the group. Hahli felt like she was going to die at any moment. Huatoz began twiddling his thumbs and sank into the corner of the room. The Turaga tensed and clutched his staff so tightly his arm shook. Huntagi lowered his gaze and clenched his jaw. Kumar turned his head, and Detou sighed. Nunovah finally broke the awkward moment.

The Toa of Magnetism walked over to the Ta-Matoran, and said kindly, in a quiet voice, "Maybe we should take this conversation outside." She took the Matoran by his arm gently, and walked outside, taking care to close the door as she left, but not before Kentu decided to follow them.

Following the departure of the two Matoran and the Toa of Magnetism, Kimas cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about that. But tell me, where do you come from?" he asked the Toa Nuva.

"Metru Nui," said Tahu, not expecting the reaction he got out of the Turaga.

Even with the door closed, everyone could clearly hear the enraged cry from outside, matching the shock the Turaga was experiencing.

&&&

Kumar walked out the office and closed the door behind him. "Turaga says he doesn't want to talk about it." Kimas had demanded that everyone leave his office immediately. Not used to seeing him like that, they complied without resistance.

Huddled up into a little ball against the wall, Hunuo was letting out choked cries. Kentu was in a similar mood, sprawled on the floor staring absently at empty space. Nunovah's efforts to calm the Ta-Matoran were in vain, and she gave up long ago.

Huatoz cocked his head. "What's with him? I've never even heard of Metru Nui before, yet he freaks out at the mere mention of it…"

Huntagi nudged him. "Yeah, well contrary to your beliefs, you don't know everything."

Detou cracked a small smile. "I'd say it was something about his past that's bothering him…"

Huatoz chuckled. "Hey, Detou, why don't you go scope out the Turaga's head?"

The Toa of Vaccuum froze, horrified. "Are you **nuts**? That's a direct violation of the Turaga's privacy!"

The Toa of Sonics shrugged in response. "Just a suggestion," he grumbled.

The small click of the door opening slowly was heard, and all witnessed it except Hunuo, who was too caught up with his own emotions to care much about the Turaga. Kimas slipped out the room, chiselstaff in hand, mask grim. He cleared his throat.

"My apologies, Toa," he began, addressing the Toa Nuva, "I was… surprised, to say the least, when I heard the name of my island of origin pronounced."

Hahli lifted her head in interest.

Kimas sighed. "Where to start, where to start…? You might know me better under the name of 'Kodan'."

Hahli shot upright. "You're the first Chronicler of Metru Nui!"

The Toa processed this new information in shock, Lewa mumbling under his breath.

"When I arrived on this island, Kumo Nui was overrun by Dark Hunters. The Matoran and their Turaga, Sudeji, lived in fear.

"I couldn't stand all the pain and suffering and helped them fight back. But we were still losing. Desperate, Turaga Sudeji gave me and a Ta-Matoran gifts. They were Toa Stones. Sudeji said that he had been waiting for the right Matoran to offer the Stones to. And he said that I and the Ta-Matoran were worthy.

So I became the Toa of Stone and the other Matoran the Toa of Fire. We fought back, but my friend and Sudeji both died. I defeated the Dark Hunters, but only after using up all of my Toa Energy and becoming a Turaga. Now, everyone knows me as Turaga Kimas."

Hahli frowned. "Honorable Turaga… if your name really is Kodan, then why did you change it?"

"In honour of my friend."

The Chronicler's eyes grew wide. "So the Toa of Fire was named Kimas?"

"That is correct."

Meanwhile, Kumar was observing the scene curiously. Everyone knew that the Turaga had arrived as a Po-Matoran, turned into a Toa, changed his name, and all that. But no one knew where he had come from. Now, everything was made clear.

Everyone pondered this, each lost in their own thoughts. Even Hunuo had momentarily forgotten his pain to stare at the Turaga. Things certainly were becoming interesting…

**Author's Notes: **You guys still didn't get the promised cliffhanger… eh… looks like Mata Nui will have to manage without a head for a while. (sweatdrop)


	10. Reemerging Threat

**Author's Notes: **Um… hi. Still sticking with short chapters, but you guys should see the kind of crap I was dishing out when I first joined. :P Personally, I think I've been improving.

**Disclaimer: **Stilldon't own Bionicle.

Kopaka observed the ongoing construction of Ko-Metru while talking to Pohatu.

"I'm really glad Tahu didn't choose me to go with him." declared the Toa Nuva of Stone, attempting to strike up a conversation.

"Um-hum…"

"Well, of course he didn't choose me; he knows I hate water."

Kopaka nodded absently and frowned.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Of course."

Pohatu arched an eyebrow skeptically. "Riiiight. A Matoran of mine fell into a vat of protodermis and became a Rahkshi and now he's destroying Po-Metru and is coming towards Ko-Metru."

Kopaka was staring off into the distance. "That's nice."

Pohatu cocked his head. "What are you looking at?"

Kopaka pointed. "Are those Matoran playing kohlii on top of a tower?"

Pohatu blinked, squinting to get a better view. "Yep."

"They're supposed to be working. And that's not safe."

The Toa of Stone smiled grimly. "Well, I'm off. Seeya later."

"Sure…"

'

Pohatu sighed, turned, and walked away. He continued in the direction of Po-Metru, smiling when certain passing Ko-Matoran nodded at him before hurrying on. They weren't very talkative, but at least they acknowledged his presence. He returned their nods with a hearty wave.

But as the distance from him and the heart of Ko-Metru increased, he suddenly felt like he was being watched. He was still in Ko-Metru territory, but just barely. There were no towers in sight.

He spun on himself, frowning. "Who's there?"

No reply of course, and even though he was probably just imagining things, he activated the Akaku Nuva. Reassured when he detected nothing, he walked on. He never noticed the two pairs of glowing red eyes that snapped open as soon as he turned his back.

&&&

Onua was drawn by the cries of the Matoran. He had run towards them as fast as he could, but having had to smash down many walls which were inconveniently blocking his path, he arrived a bit too late. _Whenua would kill me for damaging the Archive walls like this._

Onepu was sitting in the middle of the tunnel, stammering. The Toa Nuva of Earth cringed; he had a feeling he wasn't going to like what the Onu-Matoran was going to tell him.

Nevertheless, he walked up to him and placed one knee on the floor so he was level with the Matoran. "What happened?" he asked grimly.

Onepu seemed to notice his presence for the first time, raising fear-stricken eyes to the Toa's Pakiri. "T-Toa Onua?"

Onua nodded patiently. "I'm here. What happened?" he repeated.

"T-The… They took Taipu!"

The Toa frowned. "Who's they?"

"They just came out of the shadows, the big slug-like things! They grabbed his mask first, and it changed colour! Then they dragged him away! I tried to stop them, but one of them bit me!"

Onua frowned and his green eyes widened. "No… Kraata… what are they doing here?" He stood up abruptly. "Where did they go?" he asked harshly. "Answer me!"

The Matoran seemed surprised by his harshness. He pointed down the tunnel.

Without saying another word, he attached his Quake Breakers to his feet and hurried in the direction of Onepu's finger.

&&&

Kopaka stood at the edge of a Knowledge Tower. He had an almost perfect view of the city from here. Everything was calm, just like it was supposed to be. A small smile appeared on the corner of his lips, but quickly disappeared as he spotted something approaching the city. His brow creased in alarm, and he activated his Akaku. I was a Kane-Ra! _But the Rahi are supposed to be locked up in the archives! All of them!_

He didn't have time to ponder though. He quickly executed a daredevil leap off the tower, to land on a lower one. He continued like this until he was at ground level, landing with a thud that startled many Ko-Matoran, most of whom were pondering something or the other.

He drew his skis from his back, threw them onto the floor, and got onto them. Shield in hand, he hurried towards the Rahi without a word to the confused Matoran. The Kane-Ra was approaching at considerable speed, leaving large footprints in the soft snow. _I can't let it reach the towers! _

The Rahi lowered its head, pointing a set of large red horn at the Toa menacingly. Any other time, Kopaka would've gladly stepped out of the way, except Ko-Metru was at stake here. He braced himself and let his Hau Nuva do its job. Still, the force generated by the impact pushed him back, and his mask faltered for a split second, which was all the Rahi needed. It charged.

Kopaka dodged its first strike nimbly, but it unexpectedly jerked its head to the side. One of the horns slammed into the Ice Toa's shield. Kopaka grunted in pain, almost dropping his shield. He cursed, and took his skis off his feet. _Mata Nui, no Toa should ever be beaten by a Rahi! And certainly not Kopaka Nuva! _He twirled his blades around, and one of them caught the Rahi's head. It reared back in pain, and that was when Kopaka saw it on one of its shoulders. He blinked, and the Kane-Ra took advantage of that moment to stretch out its neck angrily, and knock Kopaka a few Bios away, to land in the snow.

The Toa of Ice growled. _Well, thank Mata Nui Tahu isn't here to see me losing to a Rahi…_ The Kane-Ra charged again. Fed up, Kopaka raised his sword hand and froze the legs of the beast to the ground, immobilizing it. He then sent a well aimed blast at the Rahi's shoulder, and the object detached from the Kane-Ra. It hit the surface of the snow.

Sighing, Kopaka got back onto his feet. Leaving the Rahi there, he walked towards the area where the object had landed.

There it was. Only half of it was sticking out of the snow, but there was no mistaking what it was. An infected Kanohi. Kopaka shook his head. Didn't Makuta try to pull this trick before? Yet, if there were infected Kanohi wouldn't that also mean Kraata? He frowned. Kopaka bent down for the mask, and brought it up so that it was level with his face. Empty eyes stared back at him menacingly. The Toa of Ice slung his swords over his back and walked back to Ko-Metru. He needed to chat with the Turaga.

&&&

Takanuva had volunteered to guard Ta-Metru in Tahu's absence. He was lava surfing, a sport he enjoyed as a Matoran. He swished left and right. He looked ahead of him. Yes, there was that steep area in the river of molten protodermis. He turned slightly, so that he was facing the drop perpendicularly. He bent his knees. It was closer now. Just as he felt himself beginning to fall, he leapt.

Airborne, he whooped. Then he felt the pull of gravity, and braced himself for impact. It came with a splash, and some of the protodermis singed his feet. He yelped, his center of gravity off balance. He adjusted it quickly, bending forwards. The lava surfboard tilted dangerously, and the Toa of Light was scared to move for a moment. Then everything calmed, as did the current of the river. He exhaled, and stood up straight again.

Every single one of his movements were watched by a too pairs of glowing red eyes, observing him. They were hidden just around the corner, ready to leap out and catch the young inexperienced Toa unawares. And their target was cruising straight into their hands.

**Author's Notes: **Eh…. it's sorta a cliffie. (sweatdrop) Heh.


	11. Sands of Fear

**Author's Notes: **Whoot! The long-awaited update :D LOL, enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Bionicle. Yet. LOL

Huntagi's feet sank into the sand with every step that he took. Besides him, Nunovah walked gracefully, lightly, her tracks not nearly as obvious as the Plasma Toa's. There was silence, until she broke it, asking the question that had been on both their minds.

"Don't you think it's mighty coincidental that out of all the Toa in the world, those three Matoran found ones from the Turaga's island of origin?"

Huntagi shrugged. "I don't know. The odds are suspicious though."

Nunovah frowned and adjusted the Gauntlet Magnet on her left arm. "I suppose so. The Tura-"

She was interrupted by a loud roaring in the distance. The Toa of Magnetism turned abruptly towards the noise. "I'm no master when it comes to Rahi noises, but I'm almost sure that was a Muaka." She rubbed her head. The heat had been giving her a headache.

Huntagi shivered, and he instinctively clutched the sandstone medallion around his neck. _Muaka…_ The memories came flooding back to him.

**--Flashback--**

_The reflection of sunlight on the giant claws. A great angry, fearsome, roar. A blood-curdling cry. _

"_**HUNTAGI**!!!!"_

_A slash, the sound of Rahi claws against weak armor, slicing through it effortlessly. The damaged medallion burying itself in the sand at his feet. _

**--End of Flashback--**

He blinked back tears, and brought his eyes onto the ground. The sand was the same as that fateful day, as was the weather. And the Rahi…

"Huntagi? You're shaking…"

He looked up, to perceive Nunovah's worried Elda looking him over. Forcing a smile, he said, "I'm fine. Really."

The Toa of Magnetism didn't look convinced, but dropped the topic and continued on, towards Po-Kumo.

&&&

The Fear Kraata squirmed underneath the sand. It wasn't the most comfortable place to be, but at least they were safe from the sun there. It was unbelievably hot up there, exposed to the blinding rays of light and heat. Here they were cool. Here they were happy. Happy enough to do what they do best: making others unhappy. One of them shifted as it felt the delightful sensation of fear from another being, above the surface of the sand. For others to be scared. That was their purpose, what they were conceived for.

&&&

Nunovah's eyes fell upon the medallion. Huntagi had it with him all the time, ever since they had defeated the Rahi Master. He had not spoken a word to anyone about it, and no one had ever bothered asking. She doubted Huatoz had ever even noticed it.

The medallion was an interesting looking object in itself. Made completely of sandstone, it was roughly in the shape of a circle. The Matoran symbol of 'R' had been carved onto it, but it was also dented, a large gash running across it. It certainly wasn't the work of any self-respecting crafter. By Po-Matoran standards, that medallion wasn't worthy of a pet Rahi, much less a Toa. Yet Huntagi clung onto it, and Nunovah guessed that the Po-Matoran made no comment lest they offend him.

Huntagi had noticed her staring, for he raised his head and offered her a half-smile. She quickly turned away, and looked up at the sky. The Toa of Magnetism was immediately blinded by the intense light coming from the sun, and her left arm immediately flew up to her face to cover her dark green eyes. She felt a sudden jolt of pain flow through her head.

There was a loud cry of warning, and she was tackled onto the sand.

She opened her eyes, and saw Huntagi's pendant dangling from his neck. He got off her, and turned around. Spitting out a mouthful of sand and getting back onto her feet, she saw what Huntagi had been protecting her from.

There appeared to be some sort of standoff taking place, with a Muaka on one side and two Rahkshi on the other. One of them was a Fire-Resistance Rahkshi, and the other was Heat Vision.

Her hand moved to her Harpoon Blade. "Come on, Huntagi, let's go help the poor Rahi!" She moved forwards, but turned when the Toa of Plasma didn't respond. "Huntagi?"

He was still as one of the many statues adorning Po-Kumo. His yellow-orange eyes were staring at the Muaka with a mixture of fear and contempt. A whisper escaped his lips. "No."

"What?"

"No," he repeated, more firmly this time. "If we're lucky, the Rahi and the Rahkshi'll eliminate themselves."

Nunovah gawked. "But-! It's just a poor innocent Rahi, Huntagi! What do you have against them anyways?"

The Toa of Plasma didn't answer. His hand moved to his medallion again. The Muaka roared, and he took a step back, startled. Unknown to him, right underneath him, squirmed restless Kraata. The wave of sudden fear hit hard. He couldn't understand it, but vaguely directed it towards the Rahkshi and the Muaka.

The Heat Vision Rahkshi turned its head towards him. There was something malicious in its eyes… it gave an amused hiss comparable to a Matoran's laughter, and its eyes lit up.

Before he could grasp what was happening, the medallion heated up in his hand. Looking down in horror, he realized that it had become red hot. The string around his neck broke in a small flame, and the medallion fell to the floor. The Toa of Plasma bent down to recuperate it.

A Fear Kraata suddenly shot out from the sand and attached itself to his hand, refusing to let go. He yelped, and backed away. Tripping, he fell to the ground, and the other Kraata saw their chance.

Nunovah reacted. She ran to her brother's aid, but was intercepted by the Fire Resistance Rahkshi, who jumped in front of her and raised its staff.

She held out her hand, and her Gauntlet Magnet pulsed. A magnetic field was set around the Rahkshi's staff, and it suddenly felt it being pulled out of its hands. The staff fell to the floor, and despite its best attempts, it couldn't pick it back up again. The Rahkshi hissed, as if to say that it didn't need its staff.

Nunovah had already reached Huntagi's side. She set a magnetic field around her Harpoon blade. The weapon was attracted to her hands, and when she swung it, it sent the Kraata flying.

The Muaka meanwhile, pounced onto the Fire-Resistance Rahkshi. Muaka cats preyed upon Rahkshi, and the predator, as occurred here, generally won. The Heat Vision Rahkshi fled while its companion was being devoured.

&&&

Huntagi awoke with a start. He was drenched with sweat, but when his eyes adjusted to the light, he found himself in his hut in the center of Po-Kumo. He was lying on his bed, flanked on both sides by Nunovah and some worried Po-Matoran. The first thing he noticed was that his medallion was missing, but before he could panic, he spotted it lying on a small table. The Matoran cried out happily when he sat up. Parnuk grinned.

"You're alright, sir!"

Despite his discomfort, he gave the Po-Matoran a stern gaze. It took Parnuk a while to realize what he had done wrong.

"Uh… I mean, you're alright, Huntagi!"

Giving a weak laugh, he nodded. Nunovah cracked a smile before ushering everyone out of his hut. She closed to door behind them, and then turned back to the Toa of Plasma.

"Quite a place you've got here. I mean, you could put the whole village in this hut and it still wouldn't be crowded," she said with a smirk.

Huntagi blushed slightly. "Well, Guarfu insisted I live in something a bit… above average."

Nunovah rolled her eyes. "You know what your problem is? You're too modest." Then her face became serious. "The Fear Kraata that attacked us… they were hiding in the sand."

Huntagi nodded. "Yeah. If they're in the sand, then Po-Kumo's walls are useless."

Nunovah sighed. "I should've known they were there. Seems the headache I've been having was actually my mask trying to communicate with me."

Huntagi smiled grimly. "And the Muaka? What happened?"

"It ran after the Heat Vision Rahkshi. I would've followed it, but I couldn't just leave you lying there unconscious. And I barely remembered to bring the medallion you seem so attatched to. But forget the Muaka. What do you plan to do about the Kraata?"

The Toa of Plasma shook his head. "I don't know, Nunovah. I really don't know."

**Author's Notes: **Ooh… Po-Kumo's in for it now, huh? LOL Anyways, I feel like writing songfics/oneshots for some reason. I guess it's cuz after you post them, you don't have to write more chapters and frequent updates, LOL. The problem is I have no ideas for any songfics/oneshots. :( Anyone wanna recommend a good inspiring song or donate a plot bunny they don't wanna use? Plz?


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